two things.
Firstly, I understand the attitude.  I agree with it.  There is little to no 
reason that I know of why Yaesu can't put speech synth capability into all 
their radios.  It's cheap, and exceedingly simple considering icom and 
kenwood both do it on their cheapest radios.
Secondly, just because a radio doesn't speak some functions does not mean it 
is "unaccessible" to use as a blind person.
Perhaps one doesn't have the audio feedback, but that does not mean one 
cannot use the radio for what it is designed to do...IE talking on and 
listening to others talk.
 we can all memorize menu sequences, button presses, panel layouts all that 
stuff...we've all done it on one device or other weather it's a microwave, 
or a sell phone or some other operating system or menu driven device...we 
learn it and sometimes, if possible, get sighted help to do initial set 
up...or at least, to get the initial panel layout or help navigating until 
we remember what does what.
We all tend to rely on audio feedback when it's availible to confirm what we 
are doing or what button we've pressed or whatever.
Once you figure out which buttons to press to perform the functions you 
want, then they're going to keep doing that everytime you press them...the 
radio isn't going to suddenly change on you and alter all it's button 
functions.
Map it out, play with it, memorize it and off you go.
I mean we do this with the Kenwood and Icom HT's..we learn them and use 
them.  Why can we not do this and be comfortable doing this on an HF rig?
Yes, I know other rigs offer speech and so on, but to say a radio is 
unusable, or inaccessible just because it doesn't talk like other rigs is 
kind of strange to me.
My preference too is to have a radio with a speech synth.  But, that doesn't 
mean I would totally dismiss out of hand a radio that doesn't.
Especially if it was given to me.
However, all that said, you could probably still trade it in on a kenwood or 
icom rig that does offer speech.  You could potentially trade it in on an 
Icom IC7000 that does offer speech and isn't a terribly difficult radio to 
learn if you play with it long enough.
The FT450 has great reviews.  it is small and has an excellent receiver 
apparently.
You could most definitely trade the 897 directly across for that rig since 
it is retailed cheaper than the 897.
I've played with an ft450 and for the five mins I spent with it, I got the 
hang of it very quickly with little to no assistance.
it's only HF plus 6 meters though.  There is a model with an antenna tuner 
as well.
73
Colin V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Butch Bussen" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, November 07, 2010 2:09 PM
Subject: Re: ft-897d


>I don't think we're saying they're not good radios, although even Yaesu
> fans admit they have quality control problems, but the point I'm making is
> accessibility.  I don't care if it is the best radio ever made and it only
> costs two hundred dollars, if it isn't accessible to me, what good is it
> to me?  I haven't seen the radio I won, but so far from what folks have
> written, it won't do me much good which makes me sad as it covers 160
> through 440 and has a lot of bang for the buck.  My main problem with
> Yaesu is their attitude ow unwillingness to put in speech.  I guess the
> 450 has it, but none before have and the technology is cheap and been
> around for years.  My 440 I bought back in 85 had a speech option.  The
> last Yaesu I owned, I think was a 980, not sure of the number, owned it
> back in early 80s.  I owned it for a year and 6 months out of that year it
> spent in the shop.  I just wish I'd won a radio that talked.
> 73
> Butch Bussen
> wa0vjr
> open Node 3148
> Las Vegas